House
faces street and water views, with neighbouring houses on sides and back.
With subdivision height restrictions, this house was designed to provide seclusion
from neighbours yet capitalize on water views - plus create some innovative
spaces within.
Main
features:
Notice
the entrance hall 'gallery' space, with 3ft square windows up the front wall,
3ft square sky lights across the gallery roof, then more 3ft square windows
down the back wall. The living room, dining/kitchen, stairs and #1 bedroom
all open into the gallery space. The dining deck and roof deck provide outdoor
living space since there's not much outside garden.
Walk
through description:
One
approaches the slab house from the street - across a drive which is wide enough
to park three cars side by side. There is a 4ft cantilever over the front
door and garage doors - protection from the rain.
Enter
through the front door and one looks through an open (glassed) rail into the
raised living room. The dining room floor cantilevers 4ft over the entrance
hall, but if one steps forward towards the airtight wood heater one can look
up at three sky lights two and a half stories above with open stairs to one
side. One can move to the side of the wood heater and look up through a rail
into the dining and kitchen area. Above the living room side are windows which
open from bedroom #1 into the entrance hall space.
In
the entrance hall is a low bench to sit on while removing shoes - shoes go
under bench - with coat hooks on the wall above the bench. More permanent
coats and boots are kept in the storage closet under the stairs. Residents
will usually enter from the garage where fire wood is stored to feed the wood
heater in the entrance hall. The house has electric baseboard heaters throughout,
but the wood heater plus extensive and exposed chimney provides more than
enough heat to heat the whole house and garage. There is a large Casablanca
type fan on the hall ceiling between the skylights to ensure good air circulation.
Going
up half a flight of stairs one turns right into the living room - notice the
alcove recess for TV and audio equipment. One can stand at the living room
rail and look down into the entrance hall or up into the dining/kitchen space.
Level with the living room is the guest bedroom and bathroom. Notice the small
wheel mounted on one of the guest bathroom doors to ensure that both doors
cannot be open at the same time - provides privacy for guests using the bathroom
as though ensuite.
Walking
up another half flight of stairs brings one onto the kitchen/dining level.
To the right is a telephone desk, next to the back door which leads out onto
a ground level deck - this house was built on a lot sloping towards the waterfront
across the street. One walks through the kitchen to the utility room with
under counter washer and dryer. The kitchen has a large eating bar and from
the dining room rail one looks down into the entrance hall and across into
the living room.
From
the dining room one walks out onto the dining room deck, which is private
from the neighbours because of the large wall with two 3 ft square openings
cut into it. The beams overhead allow for hanging chairs or baskets of flowers.
The dining deck door opens to the left where it can be hooked to the wall
- if it opened to the right it would obscure the kitchen window to the left
of the kitchen sink. Views of the water can be seen from the kitchen looking
through the dining room windows.
One
climbs the outside stairs from the dining deck to the roof deck. There are
water and electricity outlets on both decks, and for privacy from the neighbours
behind, a row of shrubs can be planted in tubs along the rear deck wall.
Back
at the kitchen counter, one climbs half a flight of stairs to a small landing
with a linen closet. A sliding pocket door opens into a skylight lit hall
which has doors into bedroom #1 (which has a window opening into the entrance
hall space), the study and the bathroom with soaker tub and shower stall.
The sliding pocket door provides privacy to bedroom #1 as ensuite if the study
is not being used as bedroom #3.
Why
is this house affordable?
Total
indoor living space adds up to only 2108 sq.ft., with 567 sq.ft. of double
garage, plus 784 sq.ft. of outside living deck space (196 sq.ft. of dining
deck and 588 sq.ft. of roof deck). To reduce costs the architectural features
(thickened slab walls and cantilevered outside stairs to roof deck) can be
eliminated, resulting in a simpler house which retains the inside dramatic
spaces. See photographs of the simplified built house.
Any
question? Don't hesitate to email Plum Design and ask. Suggestions will be
welcomed too.
